Chen Yang had been carried close by Yang Guanfeng so that he could be nourished with spiritual power at all times. At the moment, he was tucked inside Yang Guanfeng's sleeve.
Elder Yu had been guarding the Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass the entire time, so he did not appear this time.
Chen Yang looked at the crowd kneeling before him and felt deeply satisfied.
The Yang Family's current situation already showed signs of rising.
Though they were still weak, as long as they planned carefully, their future potential would not be small.
"Rise."
Yang Guanfeng spoke, calling everyone to their feet.
His gaze then fell upon the three children standing at the front of the crowd, and a kindly smile immediately appeared on his face.
These three children were the promising seedlings of the Yang Family he had mentioned before.
The reason he had risked entering the Secret Realm was precisely to provide these three children with better cultivation conditions.
Although the Yang Family now had him and Elder Yu, two Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivators, and no one else dared provoke them,
Yang Guanfeng knew clearly that what a lineage feared most in its long-term development was a break in continuity.
Among his generation, only he possessed cultivation aptitude. His two younger brothers were ordinary people, capable at most of practicing martial arts.
This had resulted in the current Yang Family having two Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivators, yet not a single Qi Gathering Early-stage cultivator.
Having realized this, Yang Guanfeng had begun encouraging every branch of the lineage to have more children ever since taking the position of patriarch. Only with enough descendants could they seek quality through quantity and produce children with cultivation aptitude.
The Yang Family's population had also doubled from its original fifty-odd people to nearly a hundred now.
"Take your seats, brothers. Let us begin today's council."
"Yes."
After agreeing, the two began reporting on the various affairs of the lineage in turn.
Neither possessed cultivation aptitude, but both were quite capable when it came to managing the lineage.
Yang Feiyun handled internal matters, while Yang Xiaolei handled external affairs. They kept every matter in the lineage in perfect order, allowing Yang Guanfeng to cultivate without distraction.
Half an hour later, the two had finished their reports.
Chen Yang had also learned the Yang Family's basic current circumstances from them.
The Yang Family owned shops on three streets in Willow Leaf Town, as well as a mine outside the town.
There were ninety-seven Yang clansmen. Including servants, menial workers, guards, and the like, their total population exceeded three hundred.
At such a scale, no other family in Willow Leaf Town could compare.
"Reporting to Ancestor, this year's Dynasty taxes have already been settled. The remaining family funds can still keep things running, but I fear there will not be any surplus by year's end," Yang Feiyun reported.
Just as he had said, this was also Chen Yang's concern.
With so many people, did the Yang Family still have room to continue developing within Willow Leaf Town?
Chen Yang had learned from Yang Feiyun that aristocratic families settled in towns and cities under the Dynasty's rule and, because they enjoyed the Dynasty's protection, had to pay taxes according to population.
Moreover, if cultivators existed within a family, not only would the basic population tax be increased proportionally, but additional taxes would also be levied, such as Spirit Crystals, spiritual materials, and the like.
The Yang Family was still in its initial stages. Could it bear such heavy taxation?
Chen Yang's concern was not without reason.
In truth, Yang Guanfeng had long been planning to leave Willow Leaf Town and establish a household of his own.
It was only because, as mentioned earlier, there were no other Qi Gathering cultivators in the lineage besides him and Elder Yu. They would not be able to handle all the troubles that came with establishing themselves independently.
The Yang Family was already struggling somewhat under its current tax burden.
If they added three more Qi Gathering Early-stage cultivators, they would certainly be unable to make ends meet.
They had thought they would have to endure bitterly for many more years, wasting the three children's talents for nothing.
Who could have expected that the unexpected appearance of the Secret Realm would bring a turning point?
"Mm. I will find a way to resolve this matter. You two have worked hard. Does anyone else have matters to report?"
"Reporting to Ancestor, there are no further matters."
"Good."
Yang Guanfeng nodded, then looked toward the three children.
"You three stay. Everyone else, disperse."
"Yes, Ancestor!"
After everyone dispersed, only Yang Guanfeng, his two younger brothers, and the three children remained in the Council Hall.
Yang Feiyun stepped forward and gave the three children a meaningful look. They immediately understood.
"Yang Xiaohu."
"Yang Yueqing."
"Yang Mingrui."
"We pay respects to Ancestor!"
"Good. Rise."
A smile appeared on Yang Guanfeng's face as he looked at the three children. These three were the family's precious treasures.
The three children were of different ages. Yang Xiaohu was the oldest, already fourteen this year. His skin was dark, and his build was sturdy.
He was born to Yang Xiaolei's concubine. He had displayed excellent physical qualities since childhood, and Elder Yu had later discovered that he possessed an aptitude for cultivation.
Yang Yueqing was the daughter of Yang Feiyun's principal wife. She was twelve this year and not especially striking in appearance, but she was famously mature for her age among her peers, with a temperament completely unlike that of a child.
The last was Yang Mingrui, the youngest. He had only turned ten a few days ago and was still childish. Elder Yu had discovered his cultivation aptitude several months earlier.
He was not a child of any of Yang Guanfeng's three brothers, but came from a collateral branch.
Yet among the three children, his talent was the best.
"Feiyun, Xiaolei, you have worked hard these years, laboring for the family."
Yang Guanfeng looked at his two younger brothers as he spoke.
"Big Brother, don't say such things again. What are these little matters?"
"Exactly. Compared to Big Brother risking life and limb outside, what do the things we do amount to?"
With no outsiders present, the three were clearly more intimate with one another.
After all, they had grown up together since childhood, bare-bottomed and carefree. Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei had both been looked after by Yang Guanfeng from a young age.
Now that Yang Guanfeng had become patriarch, they naturally devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the lineage's welfare.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei departed.
Before leaving, they instructed their own children to cultivate diligently under Ancestor's guidance and never let down the lineage's expectations.
"Come with me."
Yang Guanfeng led the three children through the Council Hall and arrived before the Forbidden Ground, a place ordinary people could not reach.
All three children peered curiously inside. They had known of the Forbidden Ground since they were young, but had never truly entered it.
They had only heard from their elders that if they could step inside this place, it would be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate—their lives would be utterly transformed.
With nervousness and anticipation churning in their hearts, the three children followed Yang Guanfeng into the Forbidden Ground.
The moment they passed through the gate, they saw a tall wall before them, completely separating the scene within from the outside world.
Elder Yu had personally built this wall. He had reinforced it with spiritual power during construction and set up an array, ensuring both its sturdiness and its ability to warn of intruders.
Yang Guanfeng grabbed the three children and leaped over it, entering the Forbidden Ground.
That was right—he had not set a gate for entering the Forbidden Ground at all. Anyone wishing to enter had to cross the tall wall.
Doing so would trigger the array's warning, and Elder Yu within the Forbidden Ground would know immediately.
"Wow!"
"So high, so high!"
"Ancestor is amazing!"
After landing, the three children all cried out in amazement. Their eyes, when they looked at Yang Guanfeng, were filled with even greater worship.
Yang Guanfeng smiled at the sight. "Do you want abilities like Ancestor's?"
"Yes!"
The three children cried out together, their eyes brimming with anticipation.
Yang Guanfeng raised a hand and brushed it over their heads.
"You will have them. And your abilities in the future will surely be far greater than Ancestor's, and the sights you see far broader than mine."
He said, "But no matter what, you must remember this: you will always be members of the Yang Family. Everything you receive now comes because of the lineage, and in the future, you must always think of the lineage."
Yang Xiaohu and Yang Mingrui nodded somewhat blankly.
But Yang Yueqing, the little girl, first pondered Yang Guanfeng's words for a moment. Then her gaze became resolute, and she nodded heavily.
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